Use of probiotics for grower-finisher pigs for improvement of performance is possible, never-the-less, probiotic products might not be what first comes to mind when thinking about feed additives for grower-finisher pigs. Especially not these days where feed costs are high and adding more costs to the diets must be considered carefully.
However, a recent study was done on a probiotic product combing Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus subtilis fed to grower-finisher to evaluate the effect on gut microbiota and performance such as feed conversion ratio (FCR) and average daily weight gain (ADG). Furthermore, also carcass and meat quality were examined.
The authors conclude that the probiotic product had significant effect on the gut microbiota positively affecting the fattening results, mainly through a reduction in mortality and improvement in FCR and ADG. No significant effect was found in carcass and meat quality.
Rybarczyk, A.; Bogusławska-Was, E.; Dłubała, A. “Effect of BioPlus YC Probiotic Supplementation on Gut Microbiota, Production Performance, Carcass and Meat Quality of Pigs”. Animals 2021, 11, 1581. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11061581